Chapter 436 - 286: Soft Power Is Also Strength

Chapter 436: Chapter 286: Soft Power Is Also Strength

There were two hot topics in Twin Tower City recently.

First, a Shadow of Evil titled Silence of the Lambs was absurdly popular.

But it had very few showtimes.

At first, it was only screened at the Zog Magic Cinema. After gaining popularity through word-of-mouth promotion online from those who had seen it, it only got additional showtimes in the main cinemas of major cities.

However, the fact that people wanted to see it but couldn’t find a place to watch it only added to the film’s mystique, making it even more popular.

Audiences who couldn’t get tickets began to suspect that this Shadow of Evil wasn’t even intended to make money at the box office.

Meanwhile, the online discussions about Silence of the Lambs were also confusing and contradictory.

"A heartwarming and touching story about the mutual redemption of a Human and a Devil."

"A deep analysis of a pathological criminal mind. A must-see masterpiece for anyone studying crime investigation."

"Perfect for thrill-seekers. If you’re brave enough, step into a Magic Cinema and experience it. You definitely won’t regret it."

"A good Shadow of Evil. You can learn how to be a better person from it."

...

In short, these reviews didn’t even seem to be describing the same Shadow of Evil, making those who hadn’t seen it all the more curious.

Those who were dying of curiosity but still couldn’t get tickets had no choice but to go online and search for plot analyses or other legitimate review content, rather than the aforementioned comments whose authenticity was questionable.

However, any articles containing spoilers that were posted online would be ruthlessly taken down by Zog’s mighty claws.

No spoilers allowed.

Spoilers wouldn’t be permitted for at least another two months.

The only plot details known to those who hadn’t seen the Shadow of Evil were that Detective Starling was a Devil (but a good one), and Hannibal was a high-IQ Ogre (one with a huge fanbase). The two of them worked together to catch a criminal.

And that was it.

Fueled by the immense hype and mystery, discussions were also sparked about Devils and various brutal historical cases.

Devils are regular villains in legends; a Legendary Adventurer could hardly be called the protagonist of a story if they hadn’t defeated a Great Devil.

On a related note, the other recurring villains are the Five-Color Dragons. Metal Dragons have it better, often appearing as mentors to the main party or as mysterious figures who lend a hand in times of crisis.

As for the Five-Color Dragons, eight out of ten of them in stories are fated to be slain.

Amidst this wave of discussion, people were surprised to discover that their knowledge of Devils was limited to them being "evil" and "strong," and nothing else.

Their habits, traditions, specific types, culture, and what the daily life of a Devil was actually like—all of it was largely unknown.

The Church thoughtfully released numerous records about Devils, but these scriptures were written in a style that was too obscure and difficult to understand.

How to describe it?

They were like academic textbooks, written in a way that seemed intentionally designed to prevent anyone from learning from them on their own.

As a result, not many people read the Church’s scriptures.

Where there’s demand, a market will appear. A flood of trashy "Devil exposé" articles, written purely for clicks, quickly emerged.

They were as exaggerated as they could possibly be.

Some even claimed that the Magic Goddess had already fallen and that Devils, disguised as high-ranking elites of other races, were secretly ruling the world.

The "proof" they offered were blurry screenshots from Magic Vision Device news broadcasts, showing a frame or two where the pupils of some nobles and ministers seemed to have become vertical slits...

In the end, it was the Zog Group that stepped in to set the record straight.

They collaborated with Asmodis and went down to Hell to film a documentary series, Nine Prisons of Bator, which was released simultaneously on Magic Vision and YouTube.

It was a twenty-seven-episode series introducing the Nine Layers of Hell, with three episodes dedicated to each layer, covering its geography, the culture of its species, and a brief history.

Zog was credited as the executive producer, the Church was responsible for reviewing the content for any unsuitable material, and the Lord of Hell himself provided the narration.

Asmodis’s voice was actually quite suitable for narration; it had a rich, knowledgeable quality to it.

He quite enjoyed the job himself. Perhaps after he retired, he could become a sort of David Attenborough of Hell.

The overall production of the documentary strove for authenticity and realism. No special effects were used, and the visuals had to be as stunning and beautiful as possible.

The visual requirements were mainly to drive traffic for Hell’s future tourism industry.

After all, there wasn’t much in the way of local "demonic" customs to experience, and the service industry was still in its infancy. They could only rely on natural scenery to attract tourists.

Due to the high production standards, only the first episode had been released so far. It told a short historical tale from Avernus, the first layer of Hell, as historical stories were easier to film.

The second episode was nowhere in sight; the film crew was still out in the wilds by the Nether River, watching Kobolds bare their teeth.

However, given the first episode’s excellent quality and how it perfectly capitalized on the recent hype, its view count was very high.

And besides Devils, the other hot topic of discussion—bizarre cases that had actually happened in history—saw many examples unearthed.

The Guard Corps and other similar organizations everywhere were pushed into the spotlight.

This was because people discovered there were a surprisingly large number of cold cases.

But there was good news, too. There were truly skilled individuals among the populace, and with the widespread discussion, quite a few cold cases were actually solved, successfully cultivating a new batch of mystery enthusiasts.

For a time, detective novels and suspenseful stage plays became extremely popular.

But since most were rushed jobs trying to cash in on the trend, their quality was subpar. This lasted until the Drama Guild stepped in. They began rehearsing scripts Zog had left behind, starting with the works of Edgar Allan Poe...

In a short period, Silence of the Lambs had triggered a series of chain reactions.

And the biggest reaction of all was the second major hot topic currently in Twin Tower City.

The Guard Corps announced a reorganization. The new batch of recruits for the Guard Corps would have specialized training tracks, unlike before, where the same group of people was responsible for everything.